Swing-type garment pocket having a combined re-inforcing patch and binding strip



June 23, 1964 w. E. STEPHENS, JR 3,137,366

SWING-TYPE GARMENT POCKET HAVING A COMBINED RE-INFORCING PATCH ANDBINDING STRIP 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 29, 1956 INVENTOR: him/m6.SrFpHe/vwe firrazQ/vy June 1964 w. E. STEPHENS, JR 3,137,866

SWING-TYPE GARMENT POCKET HAVING A COMBINED RE-INFORCING PATCH ANDBINDING STRIP Filed June 29, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. W/zu/m E.JTEPHE/Vifl.

w M 2 2 e y n a \Z I- 8 HY 3 2 2 ID \5 9 1 2 5 2 m 2 I. W\ m 2M: HZ 3United States Patent 3,137,866 SWING-TYPE GARMENT POCKET HAVING ACOMBINED RE-INFORCING PATCH AND BINDING STRIP William E. Stephens, Jr.,W. E. Stephens Manufacturing Co. Inc., 308 2nd Ave. N., Nashville, Tenn.Filed June 29, 1956, Ser. No. 594,953 6 Claims. (Cl. 2248) Thisinvention relates to a swing-typegarment pocket having a combinedre-inforcing patch and binding strip.

More particularly the invention pertains to a swing type garmentpockethaving a re-inforcing patch on the body-engaging side thereof, saidpatch having a narrow band-shaped extension protruding beyond the alinededges of the two pocket-forming panels and double-folded over andstitched thereto to provide a strong and neat binding for the raw edgesof the seam thus formed and bound.

This invention is an improvement upon the self-bound pocket and methoddisclosed in an application of Gillie L. Briley, S.N. 595,010, filedJune 29, 1956, for One-Piece Self-Bound Pocket and Its Method ofFabrication.

Swing-type-pocket construction has long presented serious problems indesign and cost to the garment industry. The stitching-and-turningmethod not only requires a second operation but provides a pocket havingundesirable fraying edges presented on the inside of the pocket.Single-stitching on an over-stitching machine produces a seam lackingsomewhat in attractiveness but is principally objectionable because thechain stitch inherent in such an operation tends to break and/or pullout producing a total failure of the pocket.

The present invention provides a method for fabricating apatch-re-inforced, swing-type pocket that has none of thesedisadvantages, and which has the additional advantages of a bound-seampocket simply and economically produced by extending beyond,double-folding over, and stitching the edge of the re-inforcing patch tothe alined edges of the pocket panels thus seamed and bound.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification and in which likereference characters refer to the same parts throughout the severalviews:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a pocket blank showing a reinforcing patchstitched thereto.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the blank and patch of FIG. 1, from the reverseside thereof, the patch being outwardly swung or folded about its stitchline.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the assembled pocket parts folded intopositions for the final seaming and binding sewing operation.

FIG. 4 is a plan View of the finished pocket, from the reverse side ofFIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged schematic fragmentary elevational view of thepocket construction taken on the line 55 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a modified form of re-inforcing patch.

FIG. 7 is a plan view, broken-away in parts, of the assembled pocketblank and patch of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the showing of FIG. 7 folded to the left aboutits midline.

FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of FIG. 8 butshowing the seam completed.

With reference now to FIGS. 1-5 of the drawings, the numeral 11designates a pocket blank of cloth or other suitable material. Blank 11is disclosed as being of conventional shape for forming a side pocketfor trousers or like garments and as being substantially bilaterallysymmetrical about the medial fold line 13, which fold line divides theblank 11 into the outside or garmentengaging panel 11a and the inside orbody-engaging panel i p p 3,137,866 Patented June 23, 1964 11b. Theinside panel 11b is conveniently cut away to the extent of the areaalong the pocket opening to provide the conventional offset shown for apurpose wellknown in the garment-making arts. The notches shown at lidin FIGS. l-4 are conventional expedients for facilitating the sewing ofthe pocket into the garment.

The pocket panel 11b has a marginal edge 12 which extends peripherallyor longitudinally from the bottom end of the fold line 13 to the lowernotch 11d, where the pocket opening begins. The pocket panel 11a has acorresponding marginal edge 14 longitudinally and laterally ormarginally co-extensive with the marginal edge 12. Although the marginaledge of the pocket panel 11a extends from the bottom end of the foldline 14 to the top edge of the panel 11a, the portion of the marginaledge which constitutes a part of the pocket opening will not be includedin the marginal edge designated by the reference numeral 14.

The numeral 15 designates a combined re-inforcing and seam-binding patchor strip formed of cloth or other suitable material. It should be notedthat the shape of the patch of FIG. 1 is merely suggestive orillustrative of the many shapes and sizes that could be employed. Patch15 is fastened adjacent its inner edge 16 to panel 11b by stitches 1'7(or by other suitable means, such as a thermoplastically weldedconnection for a plastic patch). Next the patch 15 is folded about itsstitch line defined by the stitches 17 so that its curved marginal edge18 extends beyond the curved bottom edge 12 of the panel 11b. of thepocket blank 11 to form the ribbon-shaped binding extension 15a (FIGS. 2and 3). The numeral 15b indicates the folded-under upper edge portion ofthe patch 15.

With the pocket panels 11a and 11b and patch 15 folded into thesuperimposed relationship shown in FIG. 3, the patch 15 is thendouble-folded by folding the extension 15a once inwardly upon itself toform an inner ply 20 including the marginal edge 18, and an outer ply22, and by folding the extension 15a onceclosely about the marginaledges 12 and14 of the panels 11b and 11c so that all the marginal edges12, 14 and 18 will be completely contained and concealed within thedouble-folded marginal portion of the patch 15. The resulting fivelayers of fabric, including plies 22, 20, panels 11a, 11b and patch 15(FIG. 5 are secured together by the stitches 21, or by any otherconvenient means, to form the bound seam 19 of FIGS. 4 and 5.

In the species of FIGS. 6-9, the numeral 23 designates a modified formof patch designed to partially cover and re-inforce the bottom portionsof the two panels 25a and 25b of the pocket blank 25. Patch 23 comprisesthe two generally bilaterally symmetrical panels 231: and 23b foldableabout their midline 23c. Panel 23a carries the marginal strip-shapedextension 23d having a marginal edge 26 which forms the seam-bindingpart of the assemblage. Line 232 is the stitching and/ or folding linealong which the patch 23 is fastened, as by stitches 24 adjacent itsinner edge 28, to the pocket blank 25 prior to folding and seaming,although, if preferred, the stitching could be performed after foldingabout line 232 in a wellknown manner, the stitches (not shown) thenpassing through both layers of the fold. The panel 23b has a curvedmarginal edge 29.

The pocket panel 25a has a marginal edge 30 which extends peripherallyor longitudinally from the bottom end of the fold line 250 to the lowernotch 25e, corresponding to the notches 11d in FIG. 3, to designate thebeginning of the pocket opening, which is substantially longitudinallyco-extensive with the area 25a. The pocket panel 25b has a correspondingmarginal edge 31 longitudinally and laterally or marginally coextensivewith the marginal edge 30, and which does not include any portion of themarginal edge of the pocket opening.

FIG. 7 shows the pocket blank 25 broken-away in parts to show theattached re-inforcing patch 23 after being stitched thereto and foldedto its pocket-bottomcovering position. FIG. 8 shows the assembled pocketblank 25 and patch 23 folded about their midlines 25c and 23cpreparatory to the final folding and stitching operation. The patch 23is then double-folded by folding the extension 23d once inwardly uponitself to form an inner ply 33 including the marginal edge 26, and anouter ply 34, and by folding the extension 23d closely about themarginal edges 30, 31 and 29 of the pocket panels 25a and 25b and thepatch panel 23b respectively, so that all these marginal edges plus themarginal edge 26 will be completely contained and concealed within thedoublefolded marginal portion of the patch 23. These six layers offabric are secured together by the stitches 27', or by any otherconvenient means, to form the bound seam 27 of FIG. 9. The seam 27 isquite similar to the seam 19 of the species of FIGS. 1-5, differingtherefrom only in having the additional lamina provided by theadditional patch panel 2312. FIG. 9 schematically shows the completedseam 27, resulting from the final stitching operation not yet begun inFIG. 8. Numeral 27 designates the one or more rows of stitches thatcomplete the seam 27.

The preferred sewing of the stitches 21 and 27 is simultaneous with thedouble-folding of the patch and the patch 23a, respectively.

While I have disclosed certain preferred embodiments of my invention, itis to be understood that many changes can be made in the size, shape,composition and arrangement of the parts without departing from thespirit of the invention as defined by the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A garment pocket comprising first and second superimposed panels ofgenerally symmetrical shapes having longitudinally and laterallyco-extensive mating marginal edges adapted to be secured together andopposed unsecured pocket opening edges, a patch having an inner edge anda marginal extension with a marginal edge longitudinally co-extensivewith, but extending laterally beyond the marginal edges of said panels,first means for securing said inner edge to the outside of said firstpanel, said marginal extension comprising an outer ply folded over themarginal edges of said panel and an inner ply including the marginaledge of said extension folded between said outer ply and said secondpanel, and second means laterally spaced from said first means forsecuring said outer ply, said inner ply, the marginal edges of saidpanels and said patch together to form a seam.

2. The invention according to claim 1 in which said inner edge is foldedonce to lie between said patch and said first panel.

3. The invention according to claim 1 in which said garment pocketcomprises a one-piece fabric folded along a fold line to form said firstand second superimposed panel.

4. The invention according to claim 1 in which the lateral dimensions ofsaid inner and outer plies are substantially equal.

5. The invention according to claim 1 in which said first securing meanscomprises a row of stitching, and said second securing means comprisesanother row of stitching.

6. The invention according to claim 1 in which said patch comprisesfirst and second panels superimposed on the outside bottom portions ofthe first and second panels of said pocket, respectively, said firstsecuring means being adapted to secure said first patch panel to saidfirst pocket panel and said second patch panel to said second pocketpanel, said marginal extension forming a part of said first patch panelonly, said second patch panel having a marginal edge longitudinally andlaterally co-extensive with the marginal edge of said second pocketpanel, and lying between said second pocket panel and said inner ply,said second securing means being adapted to secure said outer ply, saidinner ply, said first and second patch panels and said first and secondpocket panels together to form a seam.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS526,566 Field Sept. 25, 1894 1,748,836 Falkovitz Feb. 25, 1930 1,876,925Heath Sept. 13, 1932 2,046,974 Shapiro July 7, 1936 2,315,814 Reidbordet al. Apr. 6, 1943

1. A GARMENT POCKET COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND SUPERIMPOSED PANELS OFGENERALLY SYMMETRICAL SHAPES HAVING LONGITUDINALLY AND LATERALLYCO-EXTENSIVE MATING MARGINAL EDGES ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TOGETHER ANDOPPOSED UNSECURED POCKET OPENING EDGES, A PATCH HAVING AN INNER EDGE ANDA MARGINAL EXTENSION WITH A MARGINAL EDGE LONGITUDINALLY CO-EXTENSIVEWITH, BUT EXTENDING LATERALLY BEYOND THE MARGINAL EDGES OF SAID PANELS,FIRST MEANS FOR SECURING SAID INNER EDGE TO THE OUTSIDE OF SAID FIRSTPANEL, SAID MARGINAL EXTENSION COMPRISING AN OUTER PLY FOLDED OVER THEMARGINAL EDGES OF SAID PANEL AND AN INNER PLY INCLUDING THE MARGINALEDGE OF SAID EXTENSION FOLDED BETWEEN SAID OUTER PLY AND SAID SECONDPANEL, AND SECOND MEANS LATERALLY SPACED FROM SAID FIRST MEANS FORSECURING SAID OUTER PLY, SAID INNER PLY, THE MARGINAL EDGES OF SAIDPANELS AND SAID PATCH TOGETHER TO FORM A SEAM.